Ronda Rousey set to defend belt against Alexis Davis at UFC 175
Apr 14, 2014, 9:33 PM | Updated: 9:33 pm
For more than a month, rumors swirling around over who would be next in line to challenge UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey have been running rampant throughout the mixed martial arts community.
Rousey (9-0 MMA), currently the number one ranked female and 10th ranked pound fighter according to the official Power MMA Show rankings, is coming off a first round TKO victory over Sara McMann in their main event matchup at UFC 170 last February. This win gave Rousey her first career non-submission victory as prior to this bout she earned seven consecutive stoppages via armbar, with six of them coming in the opening round.
But following the dominant victory, it appeared Rousey was left with no clear next opponent as names like Gina Carano, Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino and Cat Zingano all became tied to a proposed superfight rumored to take place in July.
But on Friday night, UFC president Dana White caught fight fans everywhere off guard with a tweet announcing Rousey would be defending her belt against Alexis Davis at UFC 175.
Ronda Rousey vs Alexis Davis Saturday, July 5th for the women’s bantamweight title in Las Vegas for International Fight Week!!!
— Dana White (@danawhite) April 12, 2014
Davis, currently the number four ranked female fighter, is riding an impressive five-fight wining streak with three of those wins coming under the UFC banner. In her previous bout she earned a narrow split decision victory over fellow top 10 female fighter Jessica Eye at UFC 170. Prior to this victory she earned back-to-back unanimous decision victories over former contender Liz Carmouche and Rosi Sextion.
This bout marks Rousey’s third title defense in a little more than six months.
UFC 175 is set to take place July 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. A middleweight title fight between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida is currently scheduled for the main event. A grudge match between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva is also tied to the main card.
